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R. LUNDELL. DOUBLE SNAP SWITCH- No. 486,215. Patented Nov. 15,1892.

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R. LUNDELL. DOUBLE SNAP SWITCH.

No. 486,215. Patented Nov. 15,1892;

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DOUBLE SNAP SWITCH.

Patented Nov. 15, 1892.

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No. 486,215 Patented Nov. 15,1892.

gwvewboz 33 1 tbozmcq HIE NORRIS FEYER CO PHOTOJJYHUU WASH'NGTON. D- C-awai MM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT LUNDELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNQR OF ONE-HALF TO EDlVARD II.JOHNSON, OF SAME FLACE.

DOUBLE SNAP-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 486,215, dated November15, 1892.

Application filed February 10, 1892. Serial No. 421,021. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LROBERT LUNDELL, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York city, county and State of New York, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Double Snap-Switches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to switches for making and breakingelectrical circuits by means of an instantaneous or snap movement.

The main objects of the invention are to provide an improved form ofapparatus of the character indicated, and especially to provide a switchwhich can be moved forward or backward or which can be moved in eitherof two direction'sthat is, to the right or to the leftfrom its normal oropen position, and will in both cases when moving in each direction havethe snap action referred to.

The invention consists in the several features of construction and inthe combinations hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.-

In the accompanying drawings, Figure. lis a side view of the switchmechanism,the front of the case being removed and some of the minorparts of the switch being omitted. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line asa; of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the switchdrum and contacts, the section being taken to cut the eontact-plates online of Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a crosssection of the drum. Fig. 5 illustratesone arrangement of contactplates which may be adopted, the view showingthe surface of thedrum developed, and showing, also, a diagram ofcircuit, the. Figs. (5, 6, 6, 6, and 6 show side views of the severalcontact plates; and Fig. 7 is a section of one of said plates on line 1yet Fig. 6.

It is sometimes desirable to provide a switch which canbe moved in onedirection to close or to commntate a circuit and which can be movedbackward to break or reverse the circuit connections, and it is alsosometimes desirable to provide a switch which can be moved in onedirection to close or cominutate a circuit through an apparatus in onedirection and in the opposite direction to close or commntate thecircuit of said apparatus in a. different direction. So far as I amaware no such switch having a snap action, whether moved toward theright or towardthe left, has been constructed priorto my invention. Inmy application, Serial No. 416,782, filed January 2, 1892, is describedone system requiring a switch of this eharaeter-that is,-one movabletoward the right and toward the left at different times. In saidapplication is described a three-wire or compensating system, to which amotor having several field-magnet and armature coils is connectedthrough a switch adapted to change the connections of the several coilsin such manner as to vary the speed of the motor without material-1ychanging its torque. The present switch, as illustrated, is adapted foruse in such a system, the motor to be controlled having two armature-coils and a sl1unt-field-magnet winding, as described in saidapplication.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is an inclosing case, in which arestandards 2, supporting the shaft or spindle 3, on which is the wood orother insulating-cylinder it, which is secured to the spindle. ()n thesurface of the insulating drum or cylinder are any suitable number orarrangement of contact plates or devices. The form which I prefer isthat illustrated in the drawings, consisting of curved metal plates 5,provided with vertical Webs or flanges U, the plates 5 being adapted tofit the surface of the supporting-body. As shown in Fig. 5, these platesand their flanges are of various lengths, in order that the circuits maybe commutatedin the desired order. These flanged contact-plates arearranged in parallel circumferential lines or rows, which areinterrupted at suitable points, and long gaps are avoided by putting inidle plates of the same shape as those which are actually used asswitch-plates. This causes the action of the switch to be moreuniform,since the friction offered bythe contact-springs will be thesame whatever the position of the switch-body, and this would not be thecase were the idle plates omitted. Below the cylinder are cooperatingcontact-springs 7 8, the number-depending on the arrangement of circuitsto be controlled. The springs or plates 7 8 are pivoted at their lowerends, as indicated in Fig. 2, and at their upper ends embrace theflanges 6,thus electrically connecting the springs with plates ontheswitch.

said flanges. The devices to which the springs 7 8 are pivoted areprovided with suitable bin din g-screws s for securing the circuit-wiresthereto.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the central row of flangedplates are entirely disconnected t'rom each other and from all otherTherefore when the switch stands so that the springs 7 8 make contact ona median line--that is, a line passinglengthwise of the cylinder throughthis row of plates-the circuit with which the switch is connected isopen. Several of the plates at either side of the center are shown'connected by dotted lines 9, these lines indicating conductors passingfrom one plate to the other, preferably through grooves 10 (seeFig. 4)in the wooden drum. The drum and its contacts constitute one memberofthe switch and the pivoted springs 7 8 constitute a second member-of theswitch.

Pivoted at 11 are two upright arms 12 13,- carrying longitudinal bars orstrikers 1-1 15, preferably of wood, extending by all of the springs orplates 7 8. A spring 16 connects these two pivoted arms and tends tohold them in the position shown in Fig. 2-that is, with one edge of eachbearing against the springs 7 8. The arms 12 13 whemin the positionshown in Fig. 2 bear against any suitable stop-for example, flanges17-so that the spring cannot under any circumstances move said partsfarther in the direction of said flanges than shown. Carried by thesearms are lugs 18, to which are pivoted detent, trip, or releasing leversor devices 19 20, the inclination or position of which can be readilyand delicately adjusted by means of screws 21 or similar devices.- Theadjacent ends of the two devices 19 20 span the corrugated or scallopedring 22 at the center of the drum 4: and rest at either side of one ofthe transverse pins 23, carried thereby. Pivoted at 2% 25 are arms 2627, carrying at their upper ends rollers 28 29, adapted to rest in thedepressions of tho scalloped ring 22 and to ride over the elevatedportions thereof and constituting centering devices adapted to bring themovable body or member of the switch to rest with the several successivepoints of contact exactly in line with the springs 7 Sas the switch issuccessively moved. The levers 26 27 are provided with springs 30,tending to hold them in the position shown. he switch may be operated bymeans of any suitable handle, but preferably by one allowing lostorindependentmotion. In Fig. 1 such a hand-le is shown, and consists ofa sleeve 31, adapted to fit the spindle 3 and having a cutaway portion32 of considerably greater width than the rib or projection on thespindle and having an arm 34:, provided with a handie 35.

The operation of the switch described is as follows: When the handle isplaced on the spindle and turned-#for example, toward the right-the pin23: will be carried toward the left and will carry before it the device20 and the strip 15, tilting the arm 13 on its pivot and putting thespring 16 under increased tension. As the switch'drum is turned by thehandle the upper ends of the springs 7 8 will move along with the plateson the drum, being carried alongby the friction due to the force withwhich they grasp the flanges (3. At the same time the wheels 28 29 willbe forced back by the elevated portions of the scalloped ring,thuscompressing springs 30. "When the switch-drum has been moved a certaindistance, it will be evident that the pin 23' will be released by orwill slip ott from the end of the device 20, thus allowing the spring 16to contract, carrying the strip 15 suddenly back against the springs 8,forcing them off from the flanges 6, to which they are at that'timoconnected, and carrying them suddenly along onto the nextisucceed.

ing contact-line of the flanges indicated by the dotted line marked 1 inFig. 5, thus giving an instantaneous closure of the circuit. If theswitch-drum be turned further, the same movement would be repeated, theswitclweontacts being instantaneouslymoved from the first contactposition to the succeed ing one, (marked 2,) and so on. \Vhen the switchis returned to its normal or open positionthat is, when it is movedtoward the left-each change of circuit connections will be made by thespring action, as in the forward movement. The parts are so proportionedthat the rounded elevated portions of the ring 22 are carried by-thewheels 28 29, so that the latter press against the ring beyond thedead-center just at the moment that the pins 23 are released. In thismanner the springs 30 coact with spring 16 to throw the contacts. Themain object, however, of the wheels 28 2t) and the springs 30 is toinsure the stoppage of the drum, so that the line of contact on the drumshall be exactly in line with the springs 7 8 when the'drum comes torest. The handle by means of which the drum is moved, as alreadyindicated, is constructed to allow an independent or lost motion betweenit and the drum-spindle, so that when the spring acts it is free to movethe drum independently of the handle.

In Fig. 5 is shown, diagrammatically, a three-wire circuit, a motorhaving two armature-coils A A with separate con'nnutators, a shuntticld-tnagnct i M, and contact devices represented by the circles 7 andcorresponding to the contactsprings '7 8 of Fig. 1, these contactdevices being connected to the positive, negative, and neutral wires ofthe circuit and to the motor-coils, as shown. tracing the nircuitsclosed by the switch as it is moved it will be fonndthat when the switchis in position so that connect is made on the line marked 1 with thedevices? the'fieldmagnet circuit; only is closed, the contactplatcs 5 5serving to contact the two lower contact devices 7. In the secondposition of the switch the plates 5, 5", 5", 5 5", and

5" are brought into operation and connect the two armature-coils inseries between the positive and neutral mains, at the same timemaintaining the field-magnet circuit closed. In the thirdposition of theswitch the two armature-coils will be in series between the positive andnegative mains, while in the fourth position of the switch said coilswill be in multiple are between the same conductors.

Suppose that when the switch was in its normal or open position it hadbeen desired to close the circuit by means of the contacts on theopposite side of the central line. In this case the handle would havebeen turned toward the left, carrying the pin 23 toward the right andacting on the device 19, arm 12, strip 14, spring 16, &c., in exactlythe same manner as already described in connection with the devices onthe other side.

While a single spring is shown connecting the pivoted arms 12 13, it isevident that each arm may have a separate spring, one end of which issecured to a suitable fixed part of the apparatus. It is also evidentthat the switch may be used without employing the spring-press rollers28 29, although its operation would be less perfect, and that thearrangement of contact plates on the drum which has been indicated ismerely illustrative and that the invention is not confined to thisarrangement or to any particular number of contact-plates or springs.While I prefer to have the contact-plates provided with Vertical flangeson the sides of which the co-operating springs make contact, this is notessential.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, in a switch, of a switch memberhaving contacts, a handle for moving it, a spring for throwing saidmember when the latter has been moved a predetermineddistance, a secondswitch member, and an operatingspring therefor released at or about thesame instant that the first mentioned spring throws its switch member,substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a snapswitch, of two switch members, one of whichis provided with a suitable handle for moving it and with contacts andthe other of which has contact devices adapted to make contacttherewith, a spring put under tension by movement of the first-mentionedswitch member and acting on said member to throw it suddenly when thelatter has been moved a predetermined distance, a second spring, alsoput under tension by movement of said first switch member, and meansoperated by said second spring for throwing the second switch member,whereby the circuit is made and broken by a double spring action,substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a switch, of a member in the form of a drum, onthe surface of which are contact-plates in two series independent ofeach other, movable either to the right or to the left at will,co-operating switchcontacts, one or moresprings opposing the movement ofthe movable member, whereby it or they will be put under tension bymovement of the switch in either direction, and releasing devices forthe springs, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a switch, of a body carrying two sets ofcontact-plates on opposite sides of a median line, respectively, formingone switch member and movable at will either to the right or left, aco-operating switch member having contact devices normally standing onsaid median line that is between said sets of plates, a spring soconnected as to be put under tension by movement of the switch in eitherdirection, an escapement or releasing device for said spring, and meansoperated by such spring for instantaneously changing the switchconnections, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a switch, of a body carrying switchcontact-plates, pivoted plates or springs adapted to make contacttherewith, means for moving the body, a pivoted arm or device having atrip engaging the body, whereby the arm or device is moved by said body,a spring connected to said pivoted arm or device and put under tensionby such 5 movement, said trip being made so as to disengage theconnection between the body and said arm or device at a predeterminedpoint, whereby said spring can act, and a strip or bar carried by thepivoted arm and adapted to strike said pivoted contacts, whereby theconnection of the switch is instantaneously changed, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination, in a switch, of a body, several rows ofcontact-plates thereon, pivoted to 5 springs or plates adapted toco-operate therewith, means for moving the body and for putting a springunder tension thereby, and means for releasing said spring, and astriker moved by the spring against the pivoted conno tact plates orsprings, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a drum or body carrying several cdntact-plates inthe form of curved plates having flanges or webs extend- I I 5 ing inplanes at right angles to the axis of the drum or body and in line witheach other, some of said contact-plates being idle, but of the sameshape as the other plates, and cooperating pivoted springs adapted tograsp and make contact with the plates, whereby the resistance to motionof the switch-body is the same in all positions, substantially asdescribed.

This specification signed and witnessed this I 25 4th day of February,1892.

ROBERT LUNDELL.

Witnesses:

CHARLES M. CA'ILIN, E. A. MACCLEAN.

